How to Do Research in International Law? A Basic Guide for Beginners

Abstract

This is a basic guide for students taking their first steps in international legal research. It mainly deals with thinking about and framing research questions, as well as with issues relating to primary and secondary sources in the research of international law.

The guide begins by offering a rough typology of research questions, and then briefly discusses their basic relations with theory and methods. It also offers some suggestions about finding and framing research questions, particularly relevant for students writing their first research papers. The guide then moves to address secondary and primary sources in international legal research. It includes some advice about how to approach international legal scholarship in a world of hegemony and information overflow, and explains how to locate relevant primary sources.

Keywords: International Law, Legal Research, Theory of International Law, Legal Education, Legal Writing